'I dreamed that a gentleman, who has been very kind to me, married a haughty lady in haste, before he had quite forgotten a nice little girl he knew before, and that one wet evening, like the present, as I was walking up the harbour-road, I saw him come out of that dear little girl's present abode.' Barnet glanced towards the speaker.

The rays from a neighbouring lamp struck through the drizzle under Charlson's umbrella, so as just to illumine his face against the shade behind, and show that his eye was turned up under the outer corner of its lid, whence it leered with impish jocoseness as he thrust his tongue into his cheek.
'Come,' said Barnet gravely, 'we'll have no more of that.' 'No, no--of course not,' Charlson hastily answered, seeing that his humour had carried him too far, as it had done many times before.

He was profuse in his apologies, but Barnet did not reply.

Of one thing he was certain--that scandal was a plant of quick root, and that he was bound to obey Lucy's injunction for Lucy's own sake..